Strike Witches an Untold Past 2: The Rogue Hounds
by OZONE SNIPER
Summary: A direct continuation from an Untold Past. The files of the Hounds have been found by a group bent on causing death and destruction around the world. John is forced out of hiding and must call on the help of the witches to in order to fight this threat. Nowhere is safe and not many can be trusted as the group counters an army bent on terror. The Rogue Hounds must be stopped.
1. When in Rome

The sun peaks through to rooftops of buildings as people walk around the cobblestone streets of Rome. Some are enjoying coffee at an umbrella covered table while others are standing by fruit stalls gazing at the colorful arrangements of food. The smell of bread fills the air as a baker brings fresh loaves out to the street side. It is a very pleasant sight for a calm morning.

Among the groups of people there is a young man waiting in front of a cart filled with green and red apples. With a large brown bag the older woman in front of him begins placing apples into the bag. As he waits the boy grips at his right hand with his left. He squeezes it a bit and then starts to open and close his grip, as if his hand is in pain. The boy was wearing black gloves so it was hard to see if there was anything wrong.

The boy was dressed very casually, a button down white shirt with the top few buttons handing loose, Black pants and nice black shoes. The woman hands him the bag with a smile and he places some money into her hands. As she goes to make change he waves it away with a smile. The woman thanks him kindly and he walks away down the road clutching to apple filled bag. The buildings on his left and right are somewhat like a hallway, the road is narrow between them as the boy attempts to get around the people walking around. Soon the path opens up and the boy can hear the sound of running water. There is a large fountain off to his left, the craftsmanship is stunning and the boy uses this time to sit down and place to bag at his feet. He chooses to sit on the side of the fountain and look over the water.

What he sees is a familiar reflection of a boy with black hair. He then hears the sound of music begin to play, looking over his shoulder he sees a man playing guitar on the other side of the road. The boy reaches into his pocket as he stands up to get back on his way and pulls out a small coin. Tossing it into the water he picks up the bag and starts walking again. After a short time the boy comes upon a church, inside the building it was hard to describe how beautiful it was. The paintings at the far end of the room were stunning and the walls were expertly crafted. Light poured in from the stained windows and lit the path before the boy. On the other side of the room there was a woman in black clothing lighting candles. She turned around to see the boy walking towards her. The girl had long brown hair and smiled upon seeing the boy.

"Oh Tom it's so nice to see you" she said walking over to the boy.

"Morning Maria, I got a little gift for" he said with a smile as he handed her the bag of apples.

"Tom you didn't have to do this, the church isn't doing well but we don't want to put it on you. You have already given so much." She said as the hefty bag is placed in her hands.

"It's no trouble at all, give it to the kids at school. This war has troubled so many people, we may as well all do our part if we can." He said.

"Bless you Tom, Father Ramsey will be so happy to know the people care for each other. With all the money going to the war effort people forget that our own people are in trouble out here. "She said as the boy turned around and headed out the door waving goodbye to Maria. He closes the door behind him and takes a deep breath, as he exhales he looks around himself and smiles. The boy is definitely peaceful at this moment and enjoying life. As he looks at the people enjoying their days he can't help but notice a man with sun glasses and a black jacket looking at him from across the road. The man makes himself scarce and moves out of sight when he believes his cover is blown. The boy is a little confused about what he has just seen and starts to walk in the opposite direction.

Keeping his head on a swivel he walks through the crowds of people on the way to his destination. Every now and again he could see the same man following him down the streets. Looking to his right he sees a familiar building and runs inside. Making a sprint up the staircase that wound up the apartment like building the boy attempts to put some distance between himself and the chaser. He climbs the steps skipping some as he listens for anyone coming behind him. He can hear the recognizable sound of shoes hitting the wood as the man gives chase behind him.

The man is cautious as he climbs the steps behind the boy. Seeing as he lost sight of the boy he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a silver pistol. Slowly climbing the steps now he peaks around the corner trying to find the boy. Before long he reaches the highest point where the staircase stops and slowly creeps towards the long hallway. One of the doors is slightly open so the man pokes his gun in and pushes it open. This led to a small apartment with not much about it. There was a couch and chair on the other side of the room and a door opening to a bedroom.

The man slowly approached and walked into the room, looking around there were no signs of life. It was silent, the only thing that could be heard were the sounds happening outside the building. The man saw a closet at the back of the room and approached it. Gripping the handle he throws open the door and is struck in the chest by a pair of shoes. Without warning the man is thrown back and drops his gun with a loud thud. The man was shocked to see the boy he was chasing had used the pole in the closet to swing on and kick the man. Jumping down from his position the boy sees the man crawling across the ground to get his gun. The boy kicked it across the ground before his leg was grabbed and he was tackled to the ground. The two were in a struggle as they attempt to get the upper hand in this fight. The man starts gripping at the boy's neck attempting to strangle him. Before he can get a good hold the boy punches him in the stomach and the man goes limp and falls off of him. The boy gets back up on his feet as the man coughs on the ground. Picking up the gun the boy puts it to the man's head, pressing the muzzle into his hair.

"Who the hell are you?" the boy asked. Through the coughs the man tried to respond.

"I... I was sent to kill you John Walker." The man said as he clutched his stomach.

"How did you know my name?" John shouted at the man.

"Did you really think people wouldn't come looking for you? It was only so long before we would find out you weren't really dead. Especially with all the traveling you have been doing." The man said sitting up and looking at him angrily.

"Who is we? Who are you?" He said pressing the gun to his forehead.

"We are the people who will change this world." The man laughed. "We were once a small group who knew of what you did those many months ago, with a little digging we were able to replicate what the Hounds had done to their member. We were about to make our move on the world until we picked up on your trail. We knew you were going to be a problem if we tried anything before getting you out of the way." He said.

"What the hell are you talking about? How long have you been watching me? Who the hell do you work for!?" John shouted at the man and he started laughing uncontrollably.

"It's not like you're going to live long enough to do anything about it. I work for-"He started to say before his head shatters from a bullet wound. John jumped back and fell on his rear, looking at the wall he sees a hole where the bullet entered. Looking down at his shirt it is now stained with blood. The man's body is now lurched in the ground motionless as John breaths heavily. John doesn't move for a couple seconds and then another shot comes through the wall and hits him in the right hand. There is a clang of metal as John jumps back once again. He runs as fast as he can to get away from the shots being fired. More and more bullets start ripping through the walls as john runs for the stairs. John throws himself down the steps and tumbles down to the lower floor. He can hear the sounds of screaming from the streets below as he gets to his feet and charges down the rest of the stairs.

Bursting through the door to the streets below John can see people running for cover. Looking up at the roof across from the building he was in. at the top of the building he saw a silhouette of a woman holding a large gun. Before he could react to that a man grabbed him and started moving him with the running people.

"Are you hurt, you have blood on you? We need to run!" the man shouted at him. When john looked back up he saw the person was gone. Running with the people they ended up inside a small bakery behind the counter trying to find a place that was safe. As they waited john looked himself over and saw his glove was torn to pieces. He ripped it off his hand to reveal a dark green and yellow metal arm had replaced the one he had lost months ago. There was a light glowing beneath its surface and the people behind the counter were shocked.

"Son… I have never seen a prosthetic like that." The man said.

"Thanks… A friend built it for me" he said looking it over, there was a large scratch in the pain where the bullet hit the back of his hand. He pulled up his sleeve to where it ended at his elbow to make sure there weren't any other injuries. As John looked himself over the people around him started to get nervous seeing not only his strange hand but also his blood soaked clothing.

"Are you the reason for all that shooting going on out there?" one of them said as it breaks john concentration from his arm.

"Yeah, I think they were trying to kill me" John said jumping over the counter and running out the door. Looking around his surroundings there weren't many people still on the street. The low drone of a police siren was approaching from the distance and John knew he had to act fast. Seeing some clothes hung out on display he quickly grabbed a shirt and pulled the one he was wearing off. He knew the area he was in and quickly ran back to where he called home at the time. Along the way he found a crowd of people being escorted by police to safety in the direction he was already going. The crowd was big enough that he could make his way into it without being noticed by the police walking the people along. As they walked john saw a police car start to slowly move its way in the opposite direction of the crowd. The streets were narrow so it had to let the people slowly pass around it so it could get through.

As the car passed john he could see there were some military police officers in the car. In the back seat closest to him he recognized a black haired girl. It was the girl that had cared for him when he was injured not long ago.

"Aiko? What is she doing out here?" he asked himself when she turns towards him. He quickly looks away and ducks into the crowd trying to be sure she doesn't see him. John had so many questions that he needed answers to but he had to get somewhere safe first.

Before long john was back at the apartment he was renting and ran up to his room. Locking the door behind himself he runs to the window and looks through the shades. He doesn't see anyone and quickly pulls the blinds shut.

"If they knew enough about me to find me on the streets this place won't be safe for long. I've got to get out of here." John said as he grabbed a bag and started packing it. He then pulled out a piece of paper and started writing a letter. John stops for a few seconds as he hears people walking around in the room beneath him. He runs over to his dresser and leaps up to grab a shoe box off from its top. Pulling the top off and throwing it to the side john starts digging through the box. Inside are some old photos and a patch with broomsticks on it. Pushing all of that out of the way reveals a large revolver sitting at the bottom of the box. Lose bullets clank and roll around as john pulls it out and aims it at the door. Using his free hand he continues to write his letter.

"Barkhorn, if you haven't noticed by the fact I wrote my real name on this letter I'm in trouble and definitely can't deal with this alone. I have been living in Rome for the past month but now I need to run somewhere safe where we can regroup. I'm sorry I have to pull you into this mess but I don't know who else to turn to right now. Someone has found out what we did months ago, I'm still not completely sure what's going on. A man tried to assassinate me because they found the old Hound documents. On the back of this note I have written the address I will be staying at where you can find me. When you get here I can explain what's going on better. Until then I can't do much but keep my head down and suggest you do the same. And if I don't make it through these next couple days, I love you. I wish I had come out of hiding to see you again before this."

She reads to the girls sitting around the table. Barkhorn could see the note was getting a little personal and stopped there. The others were quiet as they listened. Barkhorn turned over the letter to see the location on the back was a town in Suomus. Shirley was angrily tapping her foot as the silence was annoying her. She stood up and slammed her hands down on the table.

"So Johns been alive this whole time and you two never thought to let any of us in on this?" she said in a very harsh voice at the girl.

"I'm sure he had his reasons" Eila said

"Like not trusting his own friends? Were a team and you chose not to let us know about this?" Shirley yelled at Barkhorn. Erica snapped up and knocked her chair back on the ground.

"Hey don't yell at her!" She shouted at the captain.

"Alright everyone shut up!" Barkhorn shouted at them all. "Sure I had to lie to you all, it was to protect John. We wanted to trust you all but he knew there would be too much of a risk. But now he's in trouble and we need to find him…" her shouting starts to drift away as she starts to think of a plan.

"Can we really just pack up and leave all of a sudden? There is a war going on." Erica asked. Sakamoto stood up and walked over to the window.

"I'll talk to Minna about getting some assistance from the Isle of Wight detachment to pick up the slack. Seeing as were the only ones in here that know about this we will be the ones to respond to this letter." Sakamoto said.

"But Commander, I can handle this myself. He asked for me." Barkhorn urged.

"Don't be stupid. This could be a trap. If people could find out john was alive they could just as easily set a trap like this. If we are together it will be safer." Sakamoto said.

"I guess you have a point" Barkhorn said as she slumped back in her chair and everyone was quiet again. She clutched the letter in her hands. Shirley really wanted to be mad at Barkhorn but seeing her this way made it melt away and she felt bad for the girl. She could see Barkhorn was really scared for John and she was also. It was a crazy rush to be told he was still alive and Shirley didn't really know how to take it.

"So all those letters you were getting were from him." Shirley asked, Barkhorn responded with a nod. She could see tears starting to come down the girls face. Erica puts her hand on the girls shoulder.

"Don't worry were going to find him and bring him home" She said.

"I'm more worried about who is trying to find him. Someone out there must have found the files related to the hound unit after the whole affair with the General went down. Something tells me there is something going on below the surface once again." Sakamoto said.

"Yeah, if someone else has unlocked the secrets of his magic core we could have another crisis on our hands. We're not even sure if these people are going to come around here to find us" Eila said.

"That's true. Lynne, I believe you should stay here and keep us updated on what happens out here. I don't want to take any chances." Sakamoto said as the others stood up and began to walk towards the door. Erica stops and looks back at Barkhorn.

"Don't worry, were gonna find him" She said as her friend stands up.

"Thanks Hartmann." She said looking down at the note. She continues to read what little was left on the note to herself. She smiled and folded the paper up and placed it in her pocket. It gave her hope as she followed the others out of the room.

"So what's the plan when we do find John?" Eila asked the group. Barkhorn takes control and moves to the front of the group.

"We find out who is trying to kill him and what their plans are. Then we stop whatever this is once and for all." She said as the door slammed behind them and they were off to find the friend so many of them had thought was dead for so long.

 **Man I didn't think I would be writing the second part to this so soon but I just really felt like writing this today. I can't wait to keep going with this, the plot will thicken past the ambiguous startup we have here. Please leave a review if you enjoy it I really like the feed back.**


	2. Come Fly With Me

An excerpt from the journal of Mio Sakamoto

 _It wasn't easy to convince Minna to allow myself and a large amount of our unit to leave in the middle of this war. It had been quite some time since the last attack on our soil but complacency is a dangerous factor that could lead to our downfall. After some tense words she eventually gave in when I buckled and gave her the reason for our sudden need to leave. After six months of believing John walker was dead most of us were shocked to hear he had been living in secret in Europe. Barkhorn gave us the details of his time as they had been corresponding with one another for most of the time he was gone. He was able to conceal his identity by constantly moving from country to country. Never staying in the same place for too long and never using his real name in any manner. I thought it would be hard to conceal his injuries due to the fact that the man was last seen missing an arm due to a wound he sustained in combat._

 _Barkhorn didn't know much about how he was handling this. All he had said about the hand was that during his time in Karlsland he was able to obtain a prosthetic. Even with that I still find it hard to believe the boy didn't stick out like a sore thumb._

 _I have to admit at first I was pretty mad about all of this. If this wasn't a rescue mission I would have been going out there to find this deserter and put him against a firing squad. Barkhorn was able to cool me off because his reasoning for going AWOL actually held some ground. He had no intent to desert the unit but knew as long as he still lived with that core in his chest there was a chance someone new would attempt to use it. By burying or destroying the working cores that had been created during his time it meant that the chances of someone using this equipment was lost. The only problem was that someone must have been keeping an eye on everything unfolding in order to track him down._

 _We can only assume they are trying to get their hands on his core and use it for their own misguided plans. What other reason would they have for tracking him down after all of this time? We still aren't sure what is left from the fall out of the hounds, we can only hope John was the last living part of that destructive war machine. We all know firsthand what those cores can allow normal people to do. I have seen people turned into beasts and others take bullets to the head without injury. This is a power no mortal should be allowed to wield, even someone who may be kind like John cannot be entirely trusted. I hate to say it about a person I have come to call a friend but maybe the world would have been better off if he had died that day. (The next few sentences have been angrily crossed out and are unreadable)_

 _Never mind, what matters is the mission at hand. Commander Minna was able to make some calls and get some units deployed to pick up the slack from our absence. Although she wished to assist us by coming along we already had big enough of a team as it was. Although Minna knew the most information during the hound fiasco she would be better off staying here and assisting the others. In case of an emergency it would be good to have here at the base to handle things._

 _At the moment of writing this I'm sitting on a civilian aircraft bound for Suomus. Although I wish I was the only one going on this operation the risk was too great to go alone. I chose Captain Barkhorn to come along due to her knowing the most of the situation at hand. Captain Yeager will also be accompanying us on this mission because of her mechanical knowledge, in the event things get out of hand having her near will definitely be helpful. Eila volunteering to come along would also come in handy seeing as Suomus is her home. Hartmann also managed to make her way into the group, I guess having extra support doesn't hurt._

 _It's kind of strange, trying to blend in with everyone else. We left our uniforms behind and picked up civilian attire, it's been a while since I have dressed like this. Looking around the aircraft now I can see the others and I almost don't recognize them without the uniform. I have known them that way for so long. For the rest of this mission it is best we don't draw attention to ourselves as witches, even showing that we are members of the military could bring unwanted eyes on us._

 _This Journal I am keeping isn't even meant for military records, I'm not even sure if it will survive the end of this mission. This is purely for my own records and I shall attempt to update it whenever I have free time. In reality this is just documenting the first black operation I have ever been a part of. Everything is off the record and we are up to our own devices. I'm always so used to having some kind of support or back up to assist in my mission. At the same time what kind of soldier would I be if I couldn't accomplish a task like this?_

 _As long as everything goes smoothly we'll have John back in Britannia before the end of the week. We'll be able to sneak back quietly and he'll be safe behind military protection. From there we can plan our next move, figure out who were up against and shut this all down for good. As long as everything goes smoothly._

* * *

The winds shift direction on the ramp and feel like a wave thrashing over the large open area. The people waiting to board the large aircraft clutch their hats and newspapers as the wind attempts to rip the objects away. The long red windsock bellows with every gust as it aligns itself with the runway. The hatch at the rear of the aircraft was pushed open and agents working the ramp pushed a rolling staircase up to the opening. The Boeing 377 Stratoliner is a stunning aircraft from the outside, its metallic skin reflecting the sun with a golden shine. It was hard for the pilots mixed in among the group not to gawk at the four large wright engines hanging from the aircrafts one hundred and seven foot wingspan. It was a chubby aircraft that looked as if it could fit around forty five people comfortably.

Barkhorn was surprised when it was her turn to board the aircraft. Following the crowd up the steps and watching her head she took a step onto the carpet. She was taken back by the beautiful interior of this flying machine, looking more like a hotel then an aircraft's cabin the Boeing was far different from the military aircraft she was used to. This civilian aircraft was far more comfortable than the transport planes Barkhorn would use. Having large soft seats and curtain covered windows the carpeted, finished wood cabin was very luxurious. Walking closer to the front of the aircraft and finding her seat Barkhorn slides close to the window. Feeling the chair around her Barkhorn had never felt this relaxed on any other flight she had taken with the military.

Looking out her window she sees the wing of the plane extending into the horizon. After a couple of seconds of staring the engines started to sputter and kick on. The propellers started to rotate with some smoke and then went from a slow spin to a fast almost invisible movement. Barkhorn sits with her chin in the palm of her hand as she ponders to herself out the window. She felt movement beside her that snapped her out of her daydream. Looking behind her she see's Major Sakamoto taking a seat next to her. The girl's gentile smile is disarming as Barkhorn gives her a half smile and sits back into her seat.

"How are you holding up?" Mio asked as she placed her rucksack on the ground in front of her chair.

"Is it bad to say I'm a bit relaxed? Haven't felt pampered like this in a while" Barkhorn laughed as the cabin began to shake a bit. The Boeing was starting to taxi.

"I'm just not crazy about the disguise choices. I don't think I can pull this off." Barkhorn said looking down at herself. She was wearing a very nice sundress and her hair was wrapped with a red ribbon instead of her usual twin tails. Sakamoto had a more tomboy appearance. Allowing her hair to become a bit scruffy to go with her shorts and sweater pulled over a button down shirt. Taking a quick look around the cabin Barkhorn quickly finds the others. Closer to the middle of the aircraft Eila is sitting next to an older man reading his paper. She is wearing a pair of long pants and a flannel shirt tucked into them. The belt holds her lean figure well. The girl winks to Barkhorn when she sees she is being watched. Eila proceeds to pull out a deck of cards and start to shuffle them in her hands. The girl knew it would be a long trip.

Scanning closer to the back of the cabin her eyes landed on Shirley and Erica sitting next to one another. The two were also dressed very casually. Shirley had a nice white button down shirt tucked into a long pair of paints similar to Eila. Erica, being the youngest of the group, went for a more school girl look. A nice white sweater tucked into a skirt. She watched as the two were clearly ready to kick back and catch up on some sleep.

"I think you look fine, beside it's about people not recognizing you" Mio said as the airplane started to accelerate down the runway. Barkhorn looked out the window and watched as they lifted off the ground. Before long they had climbed up away from the airport and they were now able to see the city skylines from the air.

"I just can't stop worrying about John. I hope he's alright" Barkhorn said looking back over at the girl.

"We just have to hope for the best" Mio said.

"But Majo-"Barkhorn started to say but cut herself off. The big point of traveling this way is so people don't know their movements. This includes not calling each other by their rank to help keep attention of themselves. She pulls in to whisper to the girl.

"But Sakamoto, if they were able to find him once what's to stop them from finding him again." Barkhorn said.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to hope we get there first." Sakamoto said.

"And what do we do if they beat us to him and are waiting for us?" Barkhorn asked.

"Why do you think we packed weapons into our cases? No one is going to pull one over on us" She responds as a worried look comes over Barkhorn's face.

"Hey, I'm sure everything is going to be fine" she reassured the girl and then reached into her bag to pull out a pen and book.

"What's that for?" Barkhorn asked.

"It's going to be a long trip. Might as well write a little while were up here" She said as she began scribbling on the page.

* * *

In the back of the plane Erica and Shirley have settled in and are ready to wait out the flight. Erica fumbles with her skirt not enjoying it much.

"Why do I have to wear this stupid thing?" Erica asks.

"Just get over it. We'll be able to change in Suomus." Shirley said. After a few minutes of silence Shirley had a thought she wanted to bring up.

"So why did you chose to come along? There wasn't a specific reason for you to join the team. You could have just stayed at the base and not have to worry about all of this." Shirley asked the girl. Erica looked out the window for a bit and then responded.

"We'll I guess I'm really here to help for the exact same reason you all are going. John was my friend and I couldn't just sit by knowing this information. I think we're all here because we care about him in one way or another. Trude really cares about him and I know she is happy to have the help… And I know you really care about him also. Why else would you be here. Sure you can say you were asked but you know if they didn't recruit you for this mission you would have been up in arms to come." Erica responded.

"What, that's not… I mean." Shirley blushed a bit not knowing how to respond to this.

"Come on, I can read you like a book. Especially between you and Trude, always competing over everything. You aren't the kind to just walk away. You still have feelings for the guy." Erica smiled.

"Don't be ridiculous… alright sure I still feel… that way. But Barkhorn is my friend." She said looking to the front to see Barkhorn was looking over the chair at them, as she saw this the girl went back to her seat.

"I wouldn't let something like that ruin everything. I can be the bigger person… "Shirley smiled looking at the back of the heads of the two girls far ahead of her. Looking to her side she sees Erica is cuddling up in the seat to get some sleep.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Trude would have done the same for you." She smiled and said in a tired voice.

"Besides look at me. There will be other guys" Shirley said putting her arms behind her head and getting ready to sleep as well.

* * *

The flight in to Suomus was a long one with a few stops to refuel along the way. Barkhorn found it hard to settle down along the way knowing the uncertainty that waited for her in the cold land. She constantly looked around the cabin to see what the others were up to. Sakamoto had put her book away at some point and began to sleep. The girls head rested on Barkhorn shoulder and she tried not to wake the major with her scanning. Behind her the two in the back of the cabin were deep in sleep. She knew Hartmann wouldn't pass up the opportunity to take a nap for this long. To her right she saw Eila had exchanged the cards she was using with the man's newspaper. He would put a few down and then ask a question about the images on them and she would explain it while doing some reading. The man was very interested by this simple tarot reading. Little did he know the girl sitting next to him didn't need the cards to see the future.

With a skid the aircraft came into its final destination. A small stretch of runway in the snowy mountains of Suomus. Rolling down the line it comes to a slow halt and then taxis out of the way for any other traffic that may be coming through. When the Flight attendant opens the rear of the aircraft it is clear how cold it is outside of the pressurized cabin. The cold wind flows through the cabin and blows around lose papers.

"Man, I definitely did not dress properly for this" Barkhorn said as she presses the dress down to stop it from blowing up. Sakamoto laughs as she watches the girl.

"Don't worry. We'll get inside and change quickly." She said patting the Barkhorn on the back. Walking outside into the snow the group rushes to the forward operating base. They find their luggage and a place to change inside the small cabin. After slipping into some warmer coats the group walks outside and sees the stunning landscape. There was a large lake surrounded by trees in the distance among the tall mountains. The sun was hanging above it in the sky and reflecting off of the lakes ice.

"Wow, this is such a beautiful place" Erica said as they started to walk down the trail to find a car.

"Yeah, did you live close to here?" Shirley asked.

"Actually my parents live in a house not far from where were going. I would have loved to drop by and surprise them. It's been so long since I've seen them or my older sister." She said with a smile.

"Didn't your sister use to run rescue missions for downed units?" Mio asked.

"Yeah, she used to have to pick up my friend Nippa a lot. I wonder what she's up to now, it's been a while since I've talked to her" Eila said scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. The Group was able to find a vehicle to get them to their destination. Although Shirley was an experienced driver they all felt safer allowing Eila to traverse the icy roads.

"So do you know this area well?" Barkhorn asked from the back of the car.

"Yeah, I used to hunt in these mountains a lot. I have probably even seen where John is leading us at one point or another." Eila said as they continue to fallow the road until they end up finding a small cabin. By this point they had spent much of the day on the road and the sun was beginning to set. The sky was now full of color, the reds and blues reflected off of the snow gracefully but it was too late to enjoy the view.

Parking the car up the road and walking around to the trunk the girls pull out their cases. Beneath the clothing sits a small arsenal of weapons. Everything from pistols to small clips and shotguns sit nicely beneath the skirts and panties. Hartmann pulled out her small weapon of choice, an MP-40, and loads its long magazine. Shirley pulls her Thompson Machine gun and grabs up some magazines as well.

Eila picks up the shotgun she was keeping in her bag, she can't help but notice a large claw mark in its wood. Somehow she had grabbed the same shotgun that she smuggled to help John so long ago. She chuckled to herself how full circle everything had come as she loaded shells into it. After putting in an adequate amount she pumps it to ready herself.

Barkhorn grabbed a G43 Rifle from the trunk and slung it over her shoulder. She wasn't sure if she would need it but it could come in handy and she felt they should cover all bases. She then pulled an American 1911 pistol from the trunk and a few magazines. It was reliable and good for any close combat that may occur. Mio retrieved a Mauser c96 and pushed the magazine into it. Then she pulled her katana out of the last bag. The team was ready to move in. They started down the road towards the house, as they walked the group wrapped scarves around their faces to conceal themselves.

Barkhorn could see the cold air leaving her mouth as she walked behind Mio. She pulled her scarf up and they all came to a hold at the base of the house. Mio looks over at the others and nods. The group was now dressed in a winter attire that was close to what Suomus soldier would wear but missing any kind of patch work. They also had ushanka hats on to keep their heads warm. With the scarves wrapped around there was little left to be seen. They actually looked like some kind of special black unit.

"This Black operation begins now. Don't let your guard down and eliminate anyone who you presume as a threat. We don't know if John is in there or not so were going to go in quietly so not to alert anyone. If it's just John we'll know once were in" Mio said and then gave the signal to move up onto the deck of the cabin. Eila moves up first in a crouched position and gets ready by the door. The others surround her as she lightly puts her gloved hand on the knob and tests it. It turns and the door cracks open, the group proceeds inside following Eila's lead. She had the most experience as a hunter and knew how to stay hidden.

It was incredibly dark inside the cabin other than the small amounts of light leaking in from the windows but even that was dim by now. The cabin was very roomy and even had an upper level. Eila stops by the staircase and gives the signal to Erica and Mio to move up there to search. Barkhorn and Shirley follow behind the girl as she proceeds to search the lower rooms. There doesn't seem to be any signs of life yet. They reach the kitchen and Barkhorn can smell a slight sent of food but it is covered by burning wood. As if there was a candle lit recently. She walks over to the counter as the two continue to walk out of the room to continue their search. They don't realize that Trude was lagging behind.

Barkhorn sees some papers on the counter and picks them up to investigate, pulling a lighter out of her pocket she flicks it open and sparks the light. The fire reveals photos of John that she remembers fondly. Some were of him and the group, another of him and Erica, Then a few of just places around the base or of other members. Then she landed on a more recent one, it was of him and who she believed to be Erica. The only problem was Erica doesn't wear glasses, and John was still missing an arm in the photo.

The click of a gun being drawn is heard and Barkhorn feels something thrust into the back of her covered head.

"Drop your guns" A stern voice says in close to a whisper from behind as she is paralyzed with fear.

 **Man, I'm actually really proud of this chapter. I had been writing it even during my classes today just to put everything I was thinking of down and I believe it all payed off well. You didn't think I would let a chapter go by without some kind of action. Tell me what you think :)**


	3. Suomus Storm

The cold metal pushes firmly into the back of Barkhorn's head causing her to tilt her gaze down a bit. The weapon is still and strong, no shaking is coming from the wielder so Trude can tell this person means business. The girl does not dare move, knowing any slight change in stance could put her brains on the counter top. The only thing she could feasibly shift were her eyes but looking around she couldn't see any of her friends in the darkness. She bit her lip hoping that they weren't in the same situation. Even if she wanted to get their attention she knew making a sound would also cause her captor to pull the trigger.

She tried to calm herself but her hands began to shake, the lighter she was holding began to flicker and then she was completely consumed by darkness. The little light that had once illuminated her had blown out and she felt the gun push even harder into her head as a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't try anything" The voice said in a stern whisper as she felt the rifle being taken from her back. She remembered the pistol that she had clumsily placed on the counter when she picked up the photos. In the darkness now she would never be able to find it without running her hands across the wood first. She was turned around and could only imagine she was facing this person now. She was pushed against the counter as the gun was pressed into her jacket. She felt a hand press against her sides, the hand patted her up and down in search of what she could only guess was a weapon. Then through the darkness she felt something force itself into her hand. It grabbed the lighter from her grasp and forced it away from her. With a flick and a flash the fire was back but she still couldn't see her assailant. It was too close to her masked face for her to see into the darkness.

"Take off the scarf, who are you?" he ordered her as she slowly reached up and began to unwrap herself. She pulls it away and drops it to the ground, when the light illuminates her face she hears the loud sound of something metal hit the ground. She can no longer feel the pistol pressed into her chest as the light pulls away from her face. She feels something wrap around her as she is embraced by someone. It is a strong pull as the arms reach around and squeeze her tightly. She is incredibly startled by this action and doesn't know how to react.

"Jesus Barkhorn I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was you" She heard close to her ear as she felt a sudden relief from the recognizable voice. She returned the hug by wrapping her arms around the boy. She breathes a sigh of relief as she buries her head into his shoulder. She didn't think she would survive the situation she was just put through but by chance it ended up being John. Taking a deep breath the boy smells of pine trees and she knows he has a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

John threw a log onto the fire as the girls sit around the illuminated area, some sat on a nice couch while others took a seat on the ground. The room was still a bit warm, John had been living in the cabin for some time waiting for Barkhorn to arrive. When he witnessed the car approach he took precautions and put out all the fires and even tried to cover some of the windows. A few candles were also lit around the cabin and everything seemed very cozy. This was countered by the fact that most of the girls still had their weapons close by while they attempted to relax for a moment. John was finished feeding the fire and took a seat on the small table between the fireplace and the couch. John scanned the room as the girls began to take their scarves and hats off, it was becoming a bit too hot. He smiles seeing the familiar faces.

"So… how did you find this place John" Barkhorn askes as John pokes at the fire with a long iron rod.

"I found it on my travels, I spent a lot of time up here in Suomus when I first started hiding. Thought being out in the mountains would be a good place to lose any traces. I befriended some of the hunters up here and this cabin belonged to one of them. When everything hit the fan I knew this would be a good place to lay low someday." He said

"And now everything has… as you put it hit the fan" Sakamoto said

"I guess you want to know what's going on" He says crossing his arms and looking down, not entirely expecting so many to come to his rescue.

"We would rather have an explanation on why a dead man is sitting in front of us right now" Sakamoto says in a stern manner.

"I had a feeling I couldn't step over that one. I'm really sorry about that." John starts to say.

"Sorry? We thought you were dead. We buried you" Eila said getting angry at the boy.

"I wish I could have but I was worried something like this would happen. These people are coming after me because of this stupid thing and we are really the only ones that stand a chance of stopping them." John said as he looked down at his chest, the stupid thing that he described was the only thing keeping him alive. The core was a powerful magic weapon that had fallen into many wrong hands.

"So what's happening, are these guys trying to steal the designs to the core?" Shirley asked.

"I wish that was the case, we would have the upper hand in that situation. It seems these guys already got their hands on the core technology somehow." John responded.

"Are you sure, How do you know?" Sakamoto asked.

"When I made first contact with them in Rome I was getting information from a man that tried to kill me. When he was about to give me a name of some kind he was shot in the head" The boy said, the thought of it still gave him shivers. He still remembers trying to get all the blood off of himself when he was on his way out of Rome.

"That doesn't sound out of the ordinary" Eila said.

"Have you ever landed a perfect shot through a wall without any kind of line of sight? I don't know about you but that sounds like some kind of magic to me. The guy said they had found my research but it wasn't until I saw that shot that I knew they had started using it on humans again. They even took a few shots at me through that wall" John said lifting his right arm in front of the fire. The flame illuminated a dent caused by a bullet in the back of his robotic hand. It was not a deep dent but the paint was torn away. Eila grips tight on her shotgun upon seeing this. His arm had gone unnoticed among the shadows and the girls had not seen him much without an arm. The fact that he had one didn't trigger any alarms until they saw it in the light. It had a faint glow under his jacket that ran a bit higher than where the original limb was missing. Looking closely at the metal it reminded Hartmann of the metal of her Striker unit. All the way down to the color it used.

"John, Oh god what have you done" Eila asked looking over the non-organic limb. Barkhorn raised herself from her seat and took him by the hand. It was cold to the touch and lifeless, John just pulled his hand back and attempted to hide it once again.

"Yeah, about the arm. I guess I have the Hartmann family to thank for that" John said smiling to the girl.

"What do you mean?" Erica asked.

"During my time in Europe I ran into your sister, She-"John started to explain when the sound of a window breaking entered the conversation. It was loud and occurring behind the group. The sound of something sputtering and a hiss started to occur. Before long the room was consumed in smoke, the group was now on their feet and readying their weapons. Barkhorn tosses John the rifle and keeps him close as she backs him through the smoke. She knows a weapon like that won't do him much good in the cabin.

"Keep your eyes open, they could come from anywhere" Sakamoto said as she pulled her katana from the sheath. The blade reflected the grey smoke as she extended it to protect herself from attackers. Barkhorn and John are now completely engulfed in the flames, they can barely see the dim light from candles and the fireplace. John and Barkhorn's eyes strain to look for any the others. Barkhorn sees the smoke begin to darken in front of her when the orange light she believed to be a candle in the distance brightens to a core in front of her. Suddenly a woman in in front of the two as if out of nowhere. With one swing she knocks Barkhorn away and into the smoke.

* * *

In an attempt to get away from all the smoke Eila finds the steps that head to the loft. She staggers up them, losing her footing at one point and almost hitting her chin on the way down. She lifts herself again and makes it to the top. The smoke seems to be settling lower in the cabin for some reason as Eila can actually see up in the loft. She looks over the rail looking for the others when out of the corner of her eye she sees a light in the darkness of the loft. Spinning around and drawing her shotgun the light brightens. It approaches her and she notices that it is sitting in the chest of a young girl. She has long white hair and is wearing a military like uniform. The core is glowing a very bright white as the girl continues to walk closer.

"Hey stay back! I don't want to hurt you" Eila shouted as the girls hands start to glow white as well. Eila felt the room become much colder, her breath became visible as she clenched the gun even harder now out of fear. She could see the dark metal of the shotgun begin to frost over from the tip over to her hands. Eila tried to pull the trigger but it wouldn't budge.

* * *

Erica had found Shirley in the mist and the two were standing back to back in attempts of protecting themselves. They finally find their way to a window and Shirley uses the butt of her gun to break it open. The smoke begins to clear a bit in her area and she can see what is happening outside. Looking up the moon is noticeably full on this night. Wolves had begun to surround the cabin, their grey fur shines in the dim light. They growl at the girl when she is in their sight but they don't attack. It's more like they are under orders not to allow anyone to break their line. Shirley then sees a man emerge from the tree line. He has dark black hair with a streak of white in it, also wearing a uniform similar to the others. Without a worry he walks through the line of wolves, gently petting one of the animals as he paces past. He walks up to the window and Shirley raises her gun to him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" He said

"You don't look like you can do much about it" Shirley said before a wolf rushed through the window and took the gun in its mouth. It ripped the weapon away from the girl and ran off with it.

"What the hell was that?" Erica shouted still slightly consumed by the fog.

"So is that your thing, you control the wolves?" Shirley said more annoyed than angry with these magic users.

"No poor child I don't just control the wolves, I control the hounds" He laughed and then snapped his fingers. From the tree line Shirley sees a spark from something reflecting off of glass. Without a second thought she grabs Hartmann and pulls her to the ground.

"Get down!" She shouts as a bullet rips thought the house and lodges itself in the opposite wall. The fog twists around the bullets trail. Hartmann sees she dropped her weapon and attempted to reach for it. Before she could lay her finger on it another projectile passed through the wall and hit the gun away from her. The girl then felt herself being dragged across the floor. she looked down in fear until she realized it was Shirley doing this to her. Shirley cradled the girl against her and used her shield to protect them. the sound of bullets crashing behind her head caused the orange haired girl to clutch harder against the small Erica.

* * *

Sakamoto is now alone in the smoke still holding her katana in front of her. She has found the fireplace and the smoke is a little less dense with the light. She starts calling out for the others but there is no response. She then hears the creaking of floor boards behind her. She spins around in time to see what is approaching. It has a lean body in the shadows but there is something grand extending from where its arms would be. As the figure approaches she recognizes it as a thin faced girl, her skin is dark but she has a strange blue colored hair. The other thing that sticks out about the girl is the fact she has bird wings where her arms should be, like some kind of harpy creature from a Greek epic. Sakamoto is cautious as the girl approaches her, the wings tucked up into her sides. They are covered in dark black feathers like that of a crow and look like they have a significant wingspan. Sakamoto observes the rest of her body is basically human, no talon feet or beak.

"The fire looks warm doesn't it?" The girl asks Sakamoto as she approaches, although the girl does not seem like she is trying to be menacing her approach is definitely intimidating to the Major. She tightens her grip on the blade and prepares herself for whatever is going to come.

"Get back freak, I will not hesitate to kill you" Sakamoto tells the girl in firm voice. The girl stops for a second and smiles. It looks as if the girl is really not trying to hurt the major.

"I'm just trying to warm up by the fire ma'am" She said with a big smile. Sakamoto was confused but there wasn't time to think as the girl started to approach her once again. She takes a step around the table and Sakamoto knows she can't let her get any closer. Sakamoto extends the sword above her head and swings it down on the girl. With a flash of blue light she strikes the girl and is blinded by the brightness. The Major's arms are thrown back as a vibration is sent down her katana. Looking at the monster in front of her Sakamoto sees that the attacker used her wings to defend herself. She shrouded herself with the large wings and the sword did not even pierce the girls guard.

"They told me the feathers were as hard as steel" The girl giggles as Sakamoto jumps back to defend herself. Before the girl could strike Sakamoto tried to slash her again. With all of her might she slashed at the girl but the wings were hard any way you struck. No matter how she attempted to attack the girl would have a shield of wing in the way.

* * *

As John spins around he sees Barkhorn being thrown from his side. The girl shouts as she is lost in the fog. John raised his rifle to defend the girl, he wouldn't miss a shot at this range. The boy dug his weapon into the chest of the girl. As he pulled the trigger the girl's core began to glow brighter and the bullet passed right through her with a black puff of smoke. Before John could react she wrapped her pale fingers around the barrel of the gun and ripped it from his hands. With one upwards stroke the gun whacked John in the bottom of the jaw, knocking the poor boy onto his back. As the gun continued to rise she released it and it was thrown up onto the loft.

* * *

Eila was unable to fire her gun so she decided to use it as a projectile itself. She threw it at the white haired girl in front of her. The enemy crumbled to avoid it, as she stood back up she whipped her arm at Eila and a barrage of razor sharp ice was thrown at her. Eila narrowly avoided it by turning her body and dropping away from its direction.

"Good reflexes" The girl mumbled annoyed that her attack did not behead the girl. Eila was known for not needing to use a shield to defend herself because her magical ability was to see into the future. It wasn't hard for her to dodge projectiles like bullets so the slower ice was a cakewalk. Eila slyly smiles upon hearing this knowing if that's the best this girl can throw at her she doesn't need to worry.

* * *

Before the enemy could attack again a rifle flew above them and landed at their feet. When it hit the ground the bullet that was chambered fired and struck the ice wielding girl in the foot. She screamed in pain and stumbled backwards. Eila took this moment to dive for the gun and chamber another round. She aimed it at the girl but was a few seconds to late. The girl fell backwards and the ground turned to ice, consuming the white haired girl into a water like pool. She went under and disappeared. There was only snow and blood remaining.

"Damnit!" Eila shouted at herself for allowing the girl to get away.

Below John was still pulling himself together from the hit he took. When he opened his eyes he saw the shadow like woman standing above him. She knelt down and looked at him. Her legs were on either side of him and they started to put weight on his arms to keep him down. He could see that her uniform was a darker black camouflage. She had very pale skin but her eyes were surrounded by an ashy blackness. Her hair was also black and cut very short. Not exactly a crew cut but it wasn't incredibly long either. She brought her eyes up to his and she could see they burned with an orange like light within her pupils. Her chapped lips opened and the words washed out over him. Her breath was warm on his face.

"So you're the one he's so afraid of… You aren't that tough. I don't see why we are wasting our time with you" She said, her voice was very rough and gravely. It wasn't exactly that of a smoker but definitely not the most feminine one that could have exited her lips. She reaches along her boot and pulled a knife from its sheath. John begins to struggle as she holds it above him and toys with it in her hands.

"If you are all that stands between us and our goal then I don't even think we need to kill you to accomplish this… I'm just gonna do it because you wasted my time" She whispers to him and puts the knife against his throat. John struggles even more but her legs kept him pinned to the ground. She chuckles seeing he put up the fight.

"Hey Bitch!" The short haired girl hears and averts her gaze from the boy. Turning around she follows the voice to the upper level of the cabin where Eila was taking aim with the rifle. The girls core began to glow again as she looked back down at John.

"Good luck boy, next time you may not have friends to protect you." She smiled and her body began to fade away, slowly turning to black smoke. Eila takes a shot but the bullet rips through the girl as she explodes into a cloud of gray. The bullet passes through and lands in John thigh. The boy, now able to move once again. Pulls his leg up and begins to roll along the ground letting out a howl of pain.

"Shit!" Eila says biting her lip and looking over the rail at what she had just done. She dashed for the staircase in an attempt to get to the boy. The smoke had begun to clear and she was able to find him when she got down. She placed her hands on his leg in order to stop the bleeding.

"I'm Sorry, I'm sorry" She continued to say to the boy as he writhed in pain.

Sakamoto was starting to sweat as the bird girl just wouldn't let any of her attacks land. She was about to strike again when she noticed the screen of smoke was fading away. The black feathered girl started to look around in confusion, she didn't see any of the other people that were there with her anymore.

"I'd like to stick around but I gotta go" The girl smiled and flapped her large wings, with a grand motion she lifted into the air and flew out the window. Her wings movement blew away the rest of the smoke in the room. Sakamoto dropped to her knees in exhaustion as her sword clanks against the wood floor. She scans the room to find the others. Barkhorn was stirring on the ground and lifting herself back onto her feet. She was holding her head in pain as she slowly got back up, coughing out the smoke. The Major then saw Shirley grasping Erica on the other side of the room, using her body to protect the girl. Shirley was relieved to hear the shooting had stopped as quickly as it had begun. Everything that had occurred only took a few minutes but that time felt like an eternity.

"Guys! I need your help over here!" Sakamoto heard from behind her as she looked past Barkhorn at Eila kneeling over John. The Major and Barkhorn ran over to assist the girl.

"What happened?" Barkhorn asked as she looked over the injured boy. The bottom of Johns chin was starting to become black and blue, his neck was bleeding a bit from a knife wound and there was a hole in his thigh. The injury was bleeding profusely into Eila's hands as she attempted to explain what had happened.

"I… I shot the girl over him but… I don't know what happened! The bullet hit her but she vanished! She just turned into smoke and… oh god I shot him!" She shouted as the blood just continued to come out. Barkhorn ran to the couch and grabbed a scarf. She pulled it around John's leg and pulled it tight. She continued to tie it down.

"God damn if only Yosika was here" Sakamoto said looking at the wound and their attempts to stop the bleeding.

"Well we don't have that luxury. Eila help me move him to the car. We need to get him somewhere safe so we can help him. Can you do that?" She asked the girl, Eila knew the area the best so Barkhorn needed her to pull herself together. The girl stared blankly at her for what seemed like an eternity but she responded.

"Yeah… Yeah I can find a place!" she said as they helped the boy onto his feet. The others were ready to go as well. They grabbed their weapons, or at least the ones that still worked and pushed the door open. They weren't about to stay in this cabin much longer, at the very least they were still being watched from the forest.

The wolves were gone now and the snow had begun to cover their tracks. As Erica followed the group up to the car she would occasionally look down and see the blood on the ground. The scarlet red seeping into the white snow with every step. They reached the car and helped the boy inside. John couldn't move his leg much but the pain was starting to subside as long as he didn't put pressure on it. Eila started the car and they drove away down the road.

"What the hell was that?" Shirley shouted, they had fought the hounds before but their attacks were never like that.

"I don't know, these guys are something else. The hounds were experimental soldiers. The people we just fought were no test subjects. They were full on fighters." John said trying to talk through the pain.

"Do you think they are going to attack like that again? Are we safe anywhere we go?" Erica asked, incredibly nervous as she clutches the gun in her hands.

"I don't think so. If they wanted us dead they would have done it there. Were safe… for now" John said.

* * *

After a quick ride the group pulled up to a small house in a mountain town. Eila got out and ran for the door. She started to pound on it as the others got out to follow. Barkhorn helped John out and allowed him to use her as a crutch to keep his leg elevated. As the others approached the door opened and they were surprised at who was on the other end. A tall silver haired girl was standing in the doorway in a Suomus army uniform.

"Sis? What are you doing out here?" The girl asked Eila in confusion.

"Aurora? I didn't know you would be here either. Are Mom and Dad home?" Eila asked the silver eyed sister as the others followed close behind. Aurora looked past the others at the injured boy and immediately had an idea of what was going on.

"They are away right now. Come in, you all look a little worst for wares." She said as the group walked into the house. Aurora walked over to Barkhorn who was struggling to walk with John. Aurora grabbed Johns other arm to help him out. She was taken back for a second when she saw it wasn't a natural arm but one made of metal. She shook her head and looked at the two who were staring at the tall girl in fear. Aurora could see they had been through a lot tonight and she wasn't about to start asking questions. She greeted them with a warm smile and put Johns arm over her shoulder.

"Let's get you two patched up. You look like you've had one hell of a night" She smiled and the two smiled back as she pulled them inside and closed the door behind them, holing it open a crack for a few seconds to scan outside and make sure no one else was out there.

* * *

Among the trees in the mountains a girl was laying in the snow. She had her eye trained on a scope as she watched into the distance. It was as if she was aiming into the forest at nothing at all. The girl was wearing camouflage like the others who attacked the cabin. Her weapon was an oversized sniper rifle that was an upgraded boys anti tank rifle. The oversized rounds would allow for heavy penetration. The girl had long orange hair and glowing green eyes. A snap of twigs does not break her gaze as wolves begin to circle around her. From the woods the man Shirley saw that evening emerged once again.

"Do you see them" The man asked.

"I see all" She responded in a monotone voice and adjusted a knob on her sight. The man chuckled at her response.

"Don't allow them to leave this country alive. The rest of the rogues have already departed to take on the world. We're counting on you to stop them here. Once they are gone you can hunt whatever you want" He said kneeling down next to the girl. She still didn't take her eye from the weapons glass.

"Why do I have to waste my energy on these fools? They are no threat to us." She asked the man and he sighed.

"A whole unit of people like us, powers like us. All of them killed by this guy and his friends. I don't think that is the work of a fool" He said. The girl did not respond to this, those facts weren't told to her. She didn't know much about what she was doing, she just did what she was told.

"I will complete this mission, then I will go on my own way like the others" She said and the man allowed a large grin to come across his face.

"Don't miss" He chucked as and started to walk back into the thick brush of the forest. The wolves followed him as he walked.

"I never miss" she said and pulled the bolt back, this caused the heavy bullet to take its place in the chamber. She was ready to fire.

 **Looks like things are starting to heat up. I am really enjoying writing this and i'm so excited to keep going with this. I hope I can keep up the fast rate of updates but I know at some point its going to drop off for a while. Its just what happens XD. I hope anyone reading is enjoying the story. Give it a review to tell me what you think and what I should change. I love to see feedback.**


	4. Tank Girl

An excerpt from the journal of Major Mio Sakamoto.

 _We were lucky to get out of that cabin alive, it was like nothing that I had ever seen before. These people, if you can even call them that anymore, have taken John's design and… I don't even know what they did. The word perfected comes to mind but that word doesn't describe the horrors they created with this forged magic. The core is clearly far too dangerous be possessed by humans; without the years of training and limitations that normal magic causes these creatures have no limits. If this weapon were to spread farther than it has at this point we could be looking at the end of modern society. Maybe even the end of the world as we know it. I still can't wrap my head around how they got their hands on the information necessary to build these weapons. However it was done is irrelevant at this point. Our mission still has not changed, we must return to our home base to plan our next steps._

 _It's still not clear if we are safe in this house. The things we saw back in the cabin makes me think our unit may never be safe no matter where we go. During our retreat from the cabin the others shared what they observed, or at least what little they could see. There was so much smoke in the cabin I'm not entirely sure what I saw. Shirley probably got the best look at one of them, she described the only male to show up during the raid. Compared to the others he didn't do much, she said the guy stayed back and allowed his wolves to fight for him. She also quoted him as saying he "controlled the hounds" and not just the wolves. This may be worth looking into seeing as the hounds were John's old unit. I wouldn't be surprised if they adopted their name along with their technology._

 _I tried to get some information from the boy about what had occurred. He wasn't exactly jumping to answer seeing as he had just been shot in the leg. He was able to tell us that he had never seen the attackers before in his life. There were never any other units that had connections with the Hounds. I find it hard to believe the any government body would move forward on a project like this after how badly everything failed before. If I had to guess this is some kind of renegade squadron or rebellion acting on its own. We won't know for sure until we can get one of them to talk._

 _The leader wasn't the only attacker Shirley witnessed, there was also a sniper. Although she never got a clear look Shirley was able to see the reflection in the scope. Even when Shirley and Erica were able to break the line of sight with the gunman shots were still able to land on target. Even through walls the shots would have been hitting their mark if it weren't for Shirley using her shield. The sniper matched the description of the assassin John ran into in Rome. Having the ability to hit targets behind walls would put anyone at a disadvantage._

 _John witnessed something of nightmares as well, when he and Barkhorn were lost in the smoke they were attacked by what john could only describe as some kind of smoke woman. You would think he was joking but at this point I would believe anything, I haven't even described what I saw yet. Barkhorn was incapacitated at the time but John got a pretty good look at the attacker. It was another woman but this one didn't stay at a distance. She had superb close quarter combat skills, it's believable seeing as she dispatched Barkhorn easily and did a number on John. The weird part comes when they tried to shoot her. John was a point blank, an unmissable shot but when he pulled the trigger the bullet just passed through her like she was smoke. This is what landed the bullet in John's leg that I spoke of before. He wasn't shot by an attacker, he was shot by Eila. The girl was trying to help but when she took a shot the attacker just turned into a cloud and vanished. The bullet didn't even shift from its course and landed itself in the boy's thigh._

 _Luckily he is being cared for as I write this, hopefully Aurora knows what she's doing. We were all thankful Eila's sister was around to assist us, it was safer to go to her than a hospital. Eila told me it was one of the few places she believed they wouldn't be prepared to look. It made sense, an injured person would most likely head to a hospital rather than a random home. The odds of them Knowing Eila was even with us or who she was is extremely low. It's going to be like this for a while, guessing games. Trying to predict the moves of our enemy when we know so little about them. It's a game of chess with an invisible opponent, we just have to stay on our toes._

 _Speaking of Eila her run in was also a strange one. She described a girl who could freeze the air around her. At one point Eila could see her own breath and her gun began to frost over on the metal. It sounds completely insane but she swears by it, the girl tried to stab her with spears of frozen water that just appeared in the air. The only thing that saved her was the fact the ice girl suffered an injury and ran. I had heard from Shirley and John that there was an old hound who had the ability to control fire. Creating a girl who could do the opposite with ice was not farfetched to me._

 _For me, like I said before I saw some crazy stuff as well. Try to top a girl with wings for arms, sounds crazy right. Sometimes you think you've seen it all and then some shit like this just pops up. Her wings were unbreakable as well, or at least her feathers were. They were like attacking a shield of sorts, except I fear that shield may be able to chop down a tree in one slash. Clearly there was some power hidden in that girl, she just wasn't showing it. That angered me so much because no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't touch her, and she wasn't even trying._

* * *

The girls were once again sitting around a small living room, tensions were high as cups of coffee steamed on the table. Eila clutched the mug as her elbows rested on her knees, anything she could do to calm herself was helpful. The coffee stung as it touched her lips but she forced it down to heat herself up. Barkhorn and Aurora were missing from the room, they were off patching up John. Hartmann was clutching her weapon outside the window standing guard. She stood in the back yard across from the tree line waiting for something to move or for her watch to be complete. She hoped the latter came first.

Across from Eila Sakamoto was once again scribbling in the journal she had been carrying around. Eila wanted to know what she was documenting so quickly but knew this wasn't the time to ask. On the other side of the room Shirley was leaning against the wall, her eyes were opening and slowly closing as she tried to keep herself awake. The two looked exhausted after what had occurred and there was still so much to do before they were safe. Eila picked up one of the cups and walked it over to Shirley. The girl nodded and took it from her, sipping the dark liquid. The sound of a book slapping shut is greeted with the crack of a door. Sakamoto was putting the journal back into her bag as Aurora walked into the room. She carefully closed the door behind her and approached the group.

"Alright, he's going to be fine. Just needs some time to rest. We were able to fish the bullet out and patch him up. You should probably find a witch with healing abilities to close the wound properly though. I'm no doctor" She said taking a seat on the couch. She threw her hands up in exhaustion and layed them up against the back of the couch.

"Thank's sis. We really appreciate it" Eila said walking back and taking a seat next to the girl. She never realized how tired she was until she felt her legs start to ache. She knew everyone needed a rest at this point but it was dangerous to let their guard down. Even with that in mind she couldn't help but feel her eyes getting heavy. She quickly grabs the coffee and takes another gulp to fight this away.

"So who is this guy? And what are you all doing out here in the east?" Aurora starts to question.

"Well… I guess it's too late to start lying to you. He's the boy who we thought died half a year ago, the one I told you about in some of my letters." Eila confessed to her sister.

"Seriously, that's John… so what, he's just not dead?" Aurora asked.

"He faked his death to hide the last of his secrets from the world. He kind of accidently created a super weapon when he was trying to save his own life" Eila responded.

"So how's that been working out for him?" She asked seeing clearly that the plan had not worked.

"Not well, no matter how hard he tried to hide the last core that he had inside of himself somehow this new group of assassins was able to replicate it." Shirley chimed in.

"They found him Rome and followed him all the way out here… they are resourceful to say the least" Sakamoto said.

"So what happened? You all got jumped when you came out here to get him?" Aurora asked.

"Basically, we don't know if they are still watching us" Eila said as Hartmann opened the back door and walked inside.

"Time to switch" She said shivering and taking off her scarf.

"I wouldn't mind the threat of death around every corner but next time can we go somewhere warm" She complained as Shirley passed her a cup of coffee. Erica handed the MP-40 to Eila as she started to bundle herself in her jacket. She opened the door and stepped outside into the dimly lit blanket of snow. She clutched the gun through her gloves and began to scan her environment, it was incredibly dark beyond the tree line. She strained to see past the first trees and bushes. Observing the ground around her she saw the boot prints from the others who had been standing out there.

She looks over to the side of the house and sees a large military truck was parked there. Its trunk had a large covered object sitting in the back. The tarp covered this bulky object and was being consumed in snow. Eila walked over to the truck and reached for the cover, wiping away some of the wet snow and ice from it. Beneath where she moved the snow there was the insignia of the Suomus army, a white and blue roundel. She was about to lift the tarp when she sensed something, her magical ability began to warn her of danger coming.

* * *

Inside a dimly lit room John was sitting up in a small bed while Barkhorn sat across from him in another. Her legs dangled off the edge as she watched the boy tinker with his robotic appendage. A quick look around the room told you much of who lived there and how long it had been since they had returned. There were photographs of the Suomus sisters on the nightstand. The pictures depicted a nicer time before Eila joined the air force to serve her world in the fight against the neuroi. The girl was a lot younger and she was wearing a light blue dress. She was holding hands with her older sister and looked very happy.

"What are you doing, you should be getting rest" Barkhorn told the boy as he used his one free hand to tinker with wires.

"I won't need to get rest once I- there we go" John said as the glow in his arm dissipated and the limb wend limp. The boy closed the metal part he was working on and turned some screws to make sure it was shut.

"What did you just do?" Barkhorn asked the boy.

"I shut down the magical energy flowing into my arm, it takes a lot out of my core to keep this thing working." He said lifting the limp appendage up and letting it drop into his lap.

"So now you can use the extra energy to heal your body, smart." Barkhorn said lifting the bandages on his leg and seeing it was already starting to slowly heal.

"The hounds would do the same thing with their magic, it didn't take much for me to learn how to do the same. It's not like I can stop a life ending injury or anything like that but it can get me back on my feet." He said, still feeling a bit of pain as the bandage stuck to his leg. The blood that had dried ripped from his flesh as the girl moved the red stained cloth. The girl saw the pain in his face and backed away.

"Sorry about that" She apologized and sat back down in silence. The two didn't speak much, what was there to say at this point. You could cut the silence in the air with a knife, one of them knew they had to say something. Barkhorn was the first to speak.

"I… really missed you. I was so worried about what had happened" She said as she moved over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"I missed you too, why do you think I wrote you so often" He said and the girl blushed a bit. John smiled and looked down at his arm, the thing was even more lifeless.

"I wanted to come see you so many times, whenever I would drift to a different town I always wanted to drop back to the base" He said, the smile fading away slowly.

"Why didn't you, I would have loved to see you" She said.

"I… I didn't want you to see me like this. I'm not the man you knew before. I have lost so much from my own body, the last thig I wanted to lose was you as well. I thought you would think I was some kind of freak now." He said pointing out the fake arm, his wounds definitely had more than just a physical effect on the boy. The girl took the boy by the hand and clutched it against her chest.

"John, I would never judge you on something like that. Your arm may be gone but I will never thing of you differently because of that." She said and leaned over the boy. She pulled herself close to his face and pressed her lips against his gently. The boy closed his eyes as they kissed for the first time in months. It was a sensation the two had missed, it was almost euphoric after all this time. She pressed his good hand down to the bed as they hold out their kiss for as long as possible. Their lips parted but their faces stayed close together as they enjoyed the heat radiating off of one another's bodies.

"I missed that a lot" He said and chuckles a bit, she can't help but laugh as well.

"If it makes you feel any better, I like the new arm" She said. From behind the girl she heard a door creaking and immediately spun around. Aurora was pushing through the doorway with cups of coffee in her hand. Barkhorn jumped up from the bed when she was spotted.

"Am I interrupting something?" Aurora asked with a smile as she walked over and handed the two some coffee. Barkhorn and John blushed a bit not expecting anyone to walk in on them.

"Aurora… I was just making sure he-"Barkhorn started to explain when Aurora put up her hand to stop her. Aurora pulled up a chair to sit between the two beds. She took a sip of her coffee calmly.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I understand young love" She said slyly, she had the cool manner of speaking that her sister used as well. The two were a bit embarrassed to hear Aurora say this.

"How's the leg holding up kid?" She asked lifting the bandage from his wound. It had almost completely closed by this point.

"Well would you look at that" She said and then looked at the boys arm. There was definitely something strange about this boy that she was surprised she hadn't heard about before this point. She leaned over and unbuttoned his shirt a bit to see the glowing core he was hiding.

"So what's the story behind this thing?" She asked him.

"I was injured a while back… I built it to save my life. It powers a magnet that keeps metal from stabbing into my heart." He responded shyly, sometimes he forgets about the injury all together, even forgets he has the core in his chest. The bulky device of shiny metal doesn't appear to be something one would overlook but after having it for so long it becomes old news. Kind of like losing your glasses when they are on your face, you just get used to some things.

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that… and the arm?" She asked.

"Lost it in a fight" John smiled trying to lighten the first real interaction he had with Eila's sister not wanting to leave a bad impression.

"Must have been one hell of a fight" She responded, happy to see the boy could be comical about his injuries. She had seen plenty of men and women in her time not able to take it as well. Being on the front line exposed her to the worst war could offer.

"You should have seen the other guy" John remarked. The two laughed and Barkhorn smiled. She remembered the day so well, how scary it all was. The threat was like nothing she had faced before but they overcame somehow. That was the day she saw john so defeated, so worn down by the fighting almost dead from his bad decisions. His arm was nowhere to be found and he was so far gone from the loss of blood. She thought she was going to lose him there. It's not a day she treats lightly.

"So tell me you two, Does my little sister give you all any trouble?" Aurora laughs as the three begin a light hearted conversation. a laugh here and a smile there lead to the group somewhat forgetting the bad situation they were in.

* * *

Outside Eila can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen, in the clearing there is a well made of rock and wood. she slowly walks up to it and brushes some of the snow from its edges and sees some names carved into the stones. She remembers playing out here during her childhood, It was a much nicer time for her. She can't linger on the memory any longer as the bad feeling comes rushing back with a chill. She continues to walk past the well to just outside the tree line. Staring into the darkness she can just barely make out the stars past the thick canopy. Suddenly there is a whizzing sound that rockets past her, then the sound of glass breaking. She turns around and sees the window to her home was broken. Someone had fired a bullet into it. She was about to scream for the others when another bad feeling washed over her. This feeling she had felt many times before in combat. Someone was going to shoot her.

The bullet flies at the girls head and she swings to the side to avoid it with ease. Like when Perrine was training her to deflect bullets with a shield she effortlessly avoided the projectile. Another bullet rushed at her and at the last second she moved her position, shifting her body out of its path.

"I… Missed… impossible! There is no way I could miss that shot!" The sniper yells at herself from her safe nest in the distance. She had taken up position in a tree and was attempting to zero in on Eila but the girl couldn't land a shot. Although she could aim precisely at the girls head and estimate how the winds and gravity would affect the shot she couldn't predict where Eila would move to. Eila was a master at prediction and even if the girl tried to lead her Eila would know. It was impossible to hit her when she focused on the sniper.

"I'm going to kill this bitch" She said leaping out of the tree and extending a heavy bipod to stabilize her rifle. In the time it took the sniper to change her position Eila dove behind the well for cover. She heard the bullets hitting the rocks and knew this wouldn't last long, she started to fire he rifle blindly over the edge in attempts to scare off the shooter.

The sniper was up high in the mountains among the trees, using this heavy brush as cover for her operation. The land also had a cliff beside it to protect her flank, she didn't have much to worry about when she was alone out there. She just had to focus on killing her target, which was proving harder than she originally expected.

* * *

Inside the house Aurora's conversation was cut short by the sound of shattering glass. The three rose to their feet and ran for the door. Looking inside they saw the other three girls unconscious in the living room.

"Check if they are alright" Aurora ordered as she grabbed Shirley's Thompson and tossed it to John. Barkhorn looked over the girls quickly and checked their pulse.

"Whatever they fired in here must have been some kind of sleeping gas. It dissipated pretty quickly but did the trick, these three are out cold." She said pointing at the large bullet that was lodged in the far wall. Barkhorn tried to wake the girls but it was no use. They then heard more gunshots outside and looked to see Eila was running behind the well and firing on an unseen enemy.

"God damnit! Eila!" Aurora shouted and ran for the door.

"Keep these three safe" John tossed the Thompson to Barkhorn and grabbed the rifle sitting in the corner on his way out the door.

"Wait! Your injuries! God damnit!" Barkhorn shouted as the boy was already out the door and among the gunfire. She knew chasing after him would just put all the others lives in danger. She strapped the gun over her shoulder and picked up Sakamoto in her arms. The girl dangled there like a lifeless husk lightly breathing as she moved her to a safer area of the house. Barkhorn just had to have faith that the others would be alright.

John pushed through the wooden door and hit the cold snow hard. He stumbled out into the back yard to the sound of gunfire, He quickly scanned the area to see what was going on. Eila was hunkered down behind the well attempting to reload her weapon. With every bullet fired the thick rocks around the well were quickly chipping away. It didn't take long for the first layer to fall and the bullets to begin firing on the wall Eila had her back to. The first hit shook her, she wasn't exactly expecting her cover to break away behind her. The vibrations sent shocks up her back as she kicked her feet to keep her body against the wall. The ice below her was causing the girl to slide away from her cover.

Looking around the rest of the open area John could see Aurora was nowhere to be found. John would have expected the girl would be by her sister's side attempting to help her. He hoped she was all right, the fact she wasn't around worried him. There wasn't much time to think of that right now, John's attention was dragged away by the sound of rocks cracking. His head spun to see Eila had been knocked back by her cover being destroyed. John could see she was having trouble getting back up, She was a sitting duck out there and wouldn't be able to avoid the next shot.

Acting fast John dashed towards the girl, the snow kicks up behind him as he trudges through the thick whiteness. He knew if he was lucky the sniper was reloading and that would buy him a little more time. It felt like it took an eternity to get to Eila from such a short distance. The girl was still attempting to right herself when john come sliding in front of her. He say she had taken a small rock to the head when her cover was destroyed and some blood was covering her face. It looked like scarlet paint that was starting above her eyebrow and working its way around her nose and down her chin.

Before the sniper could fire again john pulled himself onto his knees and raised his hands to guard the girl. It had been quite some time since John used a shield in order to protect others. When it came to the core technology it was much easier to shield oneself passively to protect against small projectiles. He knew the sniper was using something heavy, bullets that could tear a person in half. He was surprised the well stood up as long as it did.

John concentrated all of his energy and awaited the blue shield of light to overtake them and grant protection. To his surprise nothing happened, John was confused. He knew he still had the ability to create shields, it shouldn't have been a hard task even if he was a bit rusty. Looking down he was shocked to see that although his hands were out his right arm was hanging limp at his side. John felt like a fool, he had forgotten to reactivate his robotic arm after he had finished healing. There was no energy flowing through the hunk of metal and wires so he could not use it to focus the energy. Now both of them were sitting there in the open.

In the distance the sniper was growing more and more frustrated with her targets. Around her now sat a bed of shells that had been ejected from the weapon. Some of them were still smoking in the snow. She pulled the bolt back and another brass casing flew from her gun tumbling through the air until it landed among the others, its heat melting it deeper into the cold snow. Pulling another magazine from her belt the sniper uses it to eject the empty cartridge. With a smack she loads the new one and pulls the bolt to load a new round. Looking through the scope it would be hard to see her enemy from so far away in this light but her ability made up for that. Through her eyes she could see a distinct red glow from her living targets. She grins when she spots the boy standing over her annoying pray.

"Ah, there you are. I was going to save you for after I killed that slippery insect but I guess now you are saving me the trouble. Two birds with one stone" She grins and adjusts herself to line up the shot. She makes small movements with the gun so she can get a shot that would pierce John's core and Eila's head in one arc. She would have preferred a shot that would give her both of their heads but she didn't have the luck for them to be in that position nor the patience to move to a different position and risk losing the shot completely.

"To all that oppose my hunt I bid… farewell" she whispered to herself and placed her finger on the trigger.

John knew there wasn't much time to think, He made a snap decision and dove on top of the girl. He thought if anything his body could protect her from the next shot to come. Acting as a human shield he clutched the confused girl, she was still coming to her senses after discombobulation she had suffered.

"John? No don't!" she shouts realizing what was going on. She didn't want John to sacrifice himself just because she couldn't get to safety. The first thing that ran through her mind was pushing him away but the sound of a gun being fired echoed through the mountains. It was already too late. Looking up things were starting to slow down again, all Eila could see was the stars and moon high above her. Then something blocked It out, some kind of blanket or something, she couldn't really tell. Until she saw the insignia on it. It was a military tarp drifting over them.

The next thing she felt was a shaking, almost like an earth quake. She had no idea what was going on. Then there was the roar of something metal, like an engine only much more intimidating. Stones and dirt was kicked up and then there was a loud explosion. John ducked his head into Eila as he felt debris against his back. He determined that whatever was happening had finished and all he could hear now was a low drone of metal moving above him. The two looked at what had just occurred, still somewhat lost in the situation. Scanning around them they saw a large almost impact like tear through the snow that cut deep into the brown dirt below. Ripping up any grass or plants that once inhabited the area. The destroyed land led them to what had occurred. It was not something that fell from the sky but something that had slid in front of them to save their lives.

Aurora was standing over the two dawning her Stumpanzerbeine III tank striker unit. The legs were now covered in dirt from her slide but you could still see the camouflage and Suomus insignia beneath the mud. In one hand she clutched a large 75 mm cannon that was also painted in the same camouflage as her tank unit. The treads were slowly oscillating as she stood to her full height. The girl was already tall regardless, now the large metal legs added some generous extra inches, if not a full extra foot. The bright light of a shield emerged from the smoke, the girl had gotten there just in time to deflect the large bullet. Aurora could see a big chunk had been taken out of the tree across from them due to the ricochet. Its bark torn from its base and sap was beginning to squeeze from the mighty trees wound.

John couldn't help but notice the firepower this girl was working with, aside from the huge cannon he could see the explosives attached to her belt. Each had three satchel charges stacked together into some kind of heavy cluster grenade. She only had two of these to spare, He guessed it didn't have to do with a weight factor but the amount of space they took up. These large satchel bombs looked like they could make short work of a neuroi let alone a human. She also had a spade strapped to the exterior of her unit. She could use it for digging out a quick trench for protection or even combat if it came down to it. If it did come to that you probably wouldn't want to be on the business end of that spade. It was clear where this girl got her reputation as the "Terror of Morocco". She was as strong as a tank and had the firepower to back it up, if you find yourself in her sights you're as good as dead.

"You two alright?" Aurora asked turning to them, she didn't allow the shield to hinder behind her. The two were awestruck by the warrior in front of them. Another bullet came bouncing off of her shield as she knelt over them to absorb the attack. Aurora couldn't hold up against these direct hits for long. The two could see her kneeling into the dirt above them, she was beginning to pant from the strain being put on her. She grabbed John by the collar and pulled him off of Eila.

"When I give the signal you take Eila into the forest, you should be safe as long as you keep some trees between you and the sniper!" she shouted into his ear. The boy was like a ragdoll at this point in her arms but he was able to compose himself to shake his head in a nod. Eila clutched at her gun as she got onto her knees. John still had his rifle strung around his back. Eila grabbed at his working hand so he could escort her, her eye was now closed due to the blood getting into it.

Another shot smashed into Aurora's shield, this time she let out a loud scream, trying to hold off these bullets was not faring well. The weapons bullets were like nothing she had faced off against from humans. They almost carried the power of the Neuroi's weapons, it felt more like a cannon than a rifle was being fired at her. The shot that was just fired rushed into the shield and sliced up it, continuing to fly past them and destroying the top of chimney of Eila's parent's home. As bricks fell to the ground Aurora dropped to her knees with a loud thud. The metal legs looked like they could have crushed the two if they were still beneath the girl. Aurora pushes John and Eila out of the shield and toward the trees.

"Run!" She shouts as the two make a mad dash for the darkness that awaited them. Aurora dropped her shield and got back onto her feet. John tried his best to get Eila there as she stumbled alongside him. She found it incredibly hard to see with the blood and sweat in her eyes. As the two ran to her left she started to run to the right, attempting to draw the snipers fire. She soon found herself in the darkness behind a large tree. She started to hear the bullets hit trees in the distance, branches snapped and hit the ground; the forest was too dense for the sniper to hit her directly. She smiled to herself seeing that her plan had worked.

"Alright you bastard, you messed with my sister. Now you're about to see what happens when you piss me off" She spoke to herself as she disengaged the safety on her cannon.

 **A powerful fight is brewing now! I just can't stop writing this story, I just know that I'm going to burn out at some point but for now I'm just gonna keep on riding with it. Aurora isn't the only Witch to make an appearance in this story. I hope to explore other dynamics as the story moves on so keep an eye out. Also like I always say I enjoy feedback and critiques on my work so don't be afraid to leave your thoughts. Thanks for reading so far! :D**


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